Rare insight into attitudes to death among the very old

I suggest reading the whole article.

A few months before he died, my father said something that sounded like he was ready to go. I didn't know how to respond, so I lost the chance to discuss it. It wasn't something I felt comfortable bring up myself.

But my grandmother was not ready to go, until she lost her independence.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-04/uoc-nw033116.php

Public Release: 5-Apr-2016
'It's not worth me having a long-life lightbulb'
Rare insight into attitudes to death among the very old
University of Cambridge

Death is a part of life for people over 95 years old, who mainly live day-to-day, concludes a rare study of attitudes to death and dying amongst the very old. The research, from the University of Cambridge and published today in the journal PLOS ONE, finds that this group is willing to discuss dying and their end-of-life care, but is seldom asked.

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Many of the older people referred to "taking each day as it comes", expressing thankfulness for where they were in life and content, at this stage, to take life one day at a time, not worrying too much about tomorrow. There was a sense of life ticking along until something drastic happened. "It is only day-from-day when you get to ninety-seven," said one.

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